Atrophic rhinitis of swine--a multifactorial disease?

Atrophic rhinitis is caused by toxigenic Pasteurella multocida strains. The infection is supported by Bordetella bronchiseptica and other widespread agents and by non-infectious factors damaging the nasal epithelium. The term "infectious multifactorial disease" means in German, that ubiquitous low-virulent agents cause disease when intensified by non-infectious factors. Atrophic rhinitis does not belong to this group but is an infectious disease, caused by a specific agent and influenced by several factors.     

Mycoplasma (M.) bovis antiserum "Dessau"--a diagnostic material for the identification of M. bovis

Mycoplasma bovis antiserum "Dessau" was used to investigate 4,553 mycoplasma strains, between 1985 and 1987, using a method described elsewhere. This diagnostic Agent is successfully used at present at all Regional Institutes of Veterinary Services throughout the GDR.     

The potential use of plasma glutamate dehydrogenase activity for the evaluation of hepatic disease in the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)

A reference interval for plasma glutamate dehydrogenase (GD) (E.C. 1.4.1.3) activity, of 0-8 IU/L, was established for the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus). An automated modification of a commercial manual assay was used. This enzyme is considered liver specific in humans and numerous domestic animals, due to its organ distribution. A similar distribution was found in cockatiels in this study. Maximal enzyme activity was recovered from liver and kidney homogenate supernatants. Minimal activity was detected in skeletal muscle preparations. These results suggest a potential use for plasma GD activity in the evaluation of hepatocelluar injury/necrosis in cockatiels.     

Enzyme arrangement of various tissues in swine. 1. Studies of the effect of 32 hours of fasting, administration of actinomycin D, and fasting in combination with administration of actinomycin D on crude protein level, activities of GOT, GTP, fructose-1,6-diphoaphatase as well as ATPase of liver, kidneys and semitendinous muscle in newborn piglets]

The effects of sufficient milk intake as well as of 32 hours of fasting after birth, administration of actinomycin D (intraperitoneal application of 1 mg/kg five weight), and fasting in combination with actinomycin D on the development of body and liver weights, crude protein levels in homogenate and supernatant of liver, kidneys, and M. semitendinosus as well as on the activities of certain tissue enzymes were analysed with four groups of piglets (n = 4). Fasting, administration of actinomycin, and fasting in combination with actinomycin D resulted in rapid reduction in body and liver weights, while the crude protein levels in those tissues were not affected with significance. GOT and fructose-1,6-diphosphatase activities in supernatant from liver tended to decline under fasting conditions. The ATPase activity in the homogenate of the above tissues did not change in response to differentiated treatment.     

The subacute and subchronic toxicity of chlorophacinone in Japanese quail (Coturnix c. japonica)

Accordingly to the subacute toxicity of chlorphacinone to Japanese quail (LC 50: 60 mg/kg feed), the uptake of Delicia-chlorphacinone-baits for several days can be lethal to birds as a matter of principle. A subchronic study resulted in a "no-observed-effect-level" of 1 mg chlorphacinon/kg feed. Reproduction is not affected until dose levels which resulted in lethality or are accompanied by physiological changes (coagulability of blood, microcytic anaemia). Increased sensibility of descendants to chlorphacinone cannot be derived from the findings.     

Epizoologic studies of the detection of antibodies against Aujeszky's disease virus in sera and blood eluates of swine from Thailand using ELISA ("Enzygnost," Behring), serum neutralization test and "Aujeszky Latex Kit" (Iffa Merieux)

The results of three tests for Aujeszky's disease were analysed and compared. The presence of Aujeszky's antibodies was determined by "Enzyme-linked-Immunosorbent-Assays" (ELISA, "Enzygnost"), Behring company, Marburg; "Serum-Neutralization-Tests" (SNT); and "Latex Agglutination-Tests" (LT, "Aujeszky-Latex-Kit"), Iffa Merieux company, Laupheim. Whole blood and sera samples were taken from 805 swine from 26 of Thailand's provinces. These samples were analysed to determine if eluates of whole blood on filter paper were as effective as corresponding sera samples in determining the presence of Aujeszky's disease antibodies. From a total of 805 samples, 26% of the serum and 18% of the blood eluate samples showed a positive result when tested by the ELISA method. Clearly, testing whole blood eluates provides results which are inferior to results from sera samples. Therefore the ELISA whole blood eluates test can only be recommended with reservations. Further testing was done on 645 serum samples using SNT. Samples tested were those which gave negative, suspicious, or weakly positive results when tested by ELISA. Using SNT, 23% of these showed a positive result. Many serum and blood eluate samples were also tested by LT. Most of these test samples were chosen because they were deemed suspicious. Suspicious samples were defined as those which had deviant test results. According to these results the sensitivity of LT was between the sensitivity of SNT and ELISA. Owner survey responses tended to state that few animals had been vaccinated. This coupled with the frequency of antibody occurrence proves the high rate of infection among Thailand's swine population.     

Arbovirus isolations from mosquitoes in South Slovakia.

In the years 1973 and 1975 mosquitoes and some other Diptera (Tabanidae, Simuliidae, Hippoboscidae) were tested for virus. 13,924 mosquitoes, 75 horseflies and 60 blackflies were processed in 1973. Five strains of Tahyna virus were isolated from mosquito species Aedes vexans. 3,378 mosquitoes and 12 sheep keds were tested for virus in 1975. Twelve strains of Calovo virus were isolated from Anopheles maculipennis and one strain of Tahyna virus was obtained from Aedes vexans mosquitoes.     

Endocrine and sperminogenic testicular function. 8. Relationships between testicular and plasma testosterone concentrations as well as between the number of Leydig cells in testicular tissue and their cell nucleus volume in boars of different ages]

Testicular tissue and blood samples (V. spermatica interna) were taken from 32 boars during castration. The animals were different age groups. Against this background, studies were conducted into the correlations between testicular and plasma testosterone, on the one hand, and the amount of interstitial cells of Leydig in testicular tissue as well as the latters' cell nuclei volumes, on the other. The results seemed to support the conclusion that any age-dependent increase of testicular and plasma testosterone concentrations was caused unambigously by an absolute increase in volume of androgenic testicular tissue, in concomitance with testicular growth, in other words, by rise in the total number of interstitial cells of Leydig.